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7NEWS
24-04-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Embattled Liberal candidate for Bennelong Scott Yung under fire for alleged Beijing connections
The Liberal candidate for Bennelong opened a business dinner backed by an 'overseas Chinese liaison station' — which was part of a global network bankrolled by the Chinese government and previously led by a rising figure credited for supporting Beijing's territorial claim over Taiwan. can reveal Liberal candidate Scott Yung addressed the opening ceremony of the 2024 Asian Business Leaders Charity Gala as a representative of federal opposition leader Peter Dutton. The November event was co-backed by the Anhui Association of Sydney — an organisation that, according to budget documents retrieved by has received thousands of dollars in Chinese government funding. Chinese officials selected it to operate as an 'overseas Chinese liaison station' in 2016 on the principle of 'Four Emphases and Four Benefits' — including 'leveraging overseas Chinese resources to serve Anhui's 13th Five-Year Plan's international cooperation projects.' The liaison stations were 'fully leveraging the resource advantages of overseas Chinese in talent, technology, and capital' and would 'strive to closely integrate overseas Chinese affairs with the province's economic and social development,' the director of the Anhui Provincial Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office said a month later. Budget documents from Anhui's Foreign Affairs Office show the Anhui Association of Sydney was one of 14 overseas Chinese groups each awarded more than $6000 in a second round of 'overseas Chinese liaison station' selections. 'The total annual dedicated fund will amount to RMB 1,000,000,' the provincial government said of its program, equivalent to over $200,000. The Anhui Association of Sydney has received Chinese Communist Party united front delegations as recently as August 2023 when the vice chairman of the Anhui Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese visited. 'United Front Work is an important magic weapon for the victory of the party's cause,' Chinese president Xi Jinping said in 2017. 7NEWS does not suggest that the Anhui Association of Sydney, its former chairman, or any other of its associates have committed foreign interference or otherwise acted illegally. It is legal in Australia to act on behalf of a foreign government if those actions are not covert, deceptive, threatening to cause harm or demanding with menace. The news that Yung opened the dinner backed by the association designated as an 'overseas Chinese liaison station' comes three weeks after Liberal campaign spokesperson and Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson said the prime minister had 'all sort [sic] of serious questions' to answer after The Australian reported that he dined with the vice-president of a United Front group at a Labor fundraiser. 'Xi Jinping has described United Front Work Department as China's magic weapon… Now, people might have got away with making mistakes like this five or even 10 years ago, in a more innocent or naive time, but we have learnt a lot since then,' Senator Paterson told Sky News at the time. In 2018, the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department devoted an entire webpage to the man who formerly chaired the Anhui Association of Sydney, crediting him for his joint 'significant contributions' including to 'safeguarding China's peaceful reunification' — a reference to Beijing's territorial claim over Taiwan. In January 2024, he was reportedly invited as an overseas delegate to the Anhui Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference — the top Chinese Communist Party advisory body to the province's party leadership. He has also reportedly served on the overseas committee of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, which is directly overseen by the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department. The gala night at which Yung spoke, held at the Hilton Sydney, reportedly raised $8000 for Cancer Council NSW. 'The [Opposition] Leader's office was aware of Mr Yung's participation in this Chinese community event, which brought together a large number of local business and community groups to raise funds for the Cancer Council NSW,' a spokesperson for the Liberal Party said. 'Attendance at this event had nothing to do with any policy issues, and Scott's attendance was not an expression of anything other than support for local community organisations and the fight against cancer. 'Scott supports Australia's longstanding and bipartisan one-China policy and opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo in relation to Taiwan.' 7NEWS sought comment from the Anhui Association of Sydney.
Associated Press
27-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
CGTN: Full revitalization: NE China speeds up building of modern industrial system, develops new quality productive forces
CGTN published an article based on Chinese President Xi Jinping's inspection tour in northeast China's Liaoning Province from January 22 to 24, which highlights Xi's important remarks on building a modern industrial system and developing new quality productive forces to advance the full revitalization in northeast China. The article showcases the importance of pushing for the full revitalization of northeast China, stating that the real economy is the foundation, sci-tech innovation is the key, and industrial upgrading is the direction. Established in 1905, Bensteel Group – a time-honored enterprise located in northeast China's Liaoning Province – is the first large-scale steel enterprise to resume production since the founding of the People's Republic of China, with diversified businesses such as equipment manufacturing and engineering technology development. Through restructuring with major Chinese steelmaker Ansteel in 2021, Bensteel has been revitalized from a traditional manufacturer to a smart factory, showcasing a new look and vitality brought about by industrial transformation and upgrade and contributing 'steel strength' to Chinese modernization. 'The steel industry is an important basic industry of the country, and the real economy is the foundation of the national economy,' Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday during a visit to a Bensteel facility, emphasizing that the manufacturing industry should adhere to the direction of high-end, intelligent and green. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made an inspection tour to Liaoning from Wednesday to Friday ahead of the Spring Festival, which falls on January 29 this year. Developing new quality productive forces For a long time, the dispersed layout and low industrial concentration of China's steel industry have been among the main obstacles affecting its efficient operation and healthy development. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), China's steel sector deepened the supply-side structural reform, achieved a more reasonable industrial structure and made positive progress in green development, intelligent manufacturing and international cooperation. In 2022, Chinese authorities issued a guideline on promoting the high-quality development of the iron and steel industry, aiming to achieve a significant improvement in the level of industrial agglomeration and an increase in the concentration of the steel industry by 2025. For Bensteel, after industrial transformation and upgrade, its research and development and sales of car plates are in a favorable position in China, forming a product line of more than 60 categories and over 7,500 specifications. Its technology and equipment have reached a world-leading level. Noting that Liaoning has a relatively complete industrial system, Xi called on the province to coordinate the transformation and upgrade of traditional industries and the cultivation and expansion of strategic emerging industries to accelerate the building of a modern industrial system. He urged efforts to focus on strengthening the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation and developing new quality productivity according to local conditions. Full revitalization in northeast China Xi once said that to push for the full revitalization of northeast China, the real economy is the foundation, sci-tech innovation is the key, and industrial upgrading is the direction. As a highlight of its revitalization efforts, the region has continued to deepen the reform of state-owned enterprises in recent years with large-scale actions, strong force and wide scope. The ShenGu Group Co., Ltd., a state-owned manufacturer of process and energy equipment in Liaoning's capital of Shenyang, has completed a series of institutional reforms, improving its vitality and efficiency. Institutional innovation also drives technological innovation. Through digital transformation, the enterprise's traditional workshops have been moving towards intelligence, with online control of data such as staff, machines and materials, which has greatly improved work efficiency and product quality. Meanwhile, the region helps its traditional manufacturing industry, such as equipment, energy and materials, break away from extensive production through developing new quality productive forces and gradually establish an intelligent, modern and intensive industrial system. The full revitalization of northeast China lies in reform and opening up, Xi stressed, calling for efforts to build a law-based government, optimize the business environment and improve the modern enterprise system with Chinese characteristics. Country: China
